An Unexpected Development
by TeraWatt
Summary: Prince Ozai steps out of line and Azulon is not amused. No one belittles a grandchild of the Firelord! Not even Ozai.
1. Chapter 1

**An Unexpected Development**

 _By TeraWatt_

Firelord Azulon was a hard man. With a full-blown war being his late father's legacy, he had to be. With a conflict of this size he not only had to worry about the enemy nations but his own people. History had shown that wars can make one's own citizens prone to insurrection. Morale MUST be kept high. News from the warfront MUST be encouraging and positive. But most importantly, the Royal Family MUST be looked upon as their only hope; the perfect embodiment of their culture and beliefs. More than that, the average citizen had to believe that the royals represented their voice in the government. That when one declares a war, any loyal Fire Nation citizen, in the same circumstances,would do the same in their place.

The war was a costly affair. Not just in lives but in livelihood. Their sons and a few outstanding daughters were trained up to fight and sent far away; the remaining population living on rations and propaganda. Discontent could be more dangerous than an invasion.

This is why Firelord Azulon was almost shaking in rage at the spectacle his second son's family had just made of themselves.

His second son, Ozai, had been called forth to present his family to Azulon. The reason for this was that Zuko had just turned seven. Traditionally, any child in the Firelord's household would be presented at this point to showcase their skills. The Firelord was then to approve if the child was to be considered part of the line of succession. If not, the child could not become Firelord even if the rest of the family had died. In recent years, an impressive display of firebending was a typical choice due to the war.

What had happened however, was not only an affront to tradition, but an insult to Zuko. Ozai came parading in extolling the virtues and skills of his prodigy daughter. Zuko was never even mentioned and looked disturbingly cowed. After Ozai had Zuko's younger sister display her skills in what should have been his presentation, Zuko made to stand. But Azulon had had enough.

"OZAI! How _dare_ you spit on centuries of tradition! This is Zuko's presentation. Not your daughter's." Azulon was almost shaking with rage. The eternal flames of the throne were meters higher than normal.

"Get out of my sight and take the girl with you. I will speak with you later. Ursa and Zuko will stay here."

Ozai sketched out a bow and hurried out of the throne room as fast as he could without running, Azula at his heels. Azulon waited until they were gone before he walked down form the throne and bade the remaining woman and boy to stand. Azulon stood before Zuko and looked down at him. Zuko averted his eyes in shame.

"He had no right to do that, my grandson. I assume he has made no effort to prepare you for this day. He has acted shamefully. He presumed to pass you over in favour of a younger sibling and disregarded centuries of tradition in MY throne room. He has not only insulted you, my grandson, he has insulted me and this entire family. He presumes to insinuate that a child of MY lineage is not worthy of consideration. There will be consequences."

Zuko looked unsure at what was being said. True Ozai had never given him the time of day and HAD shamed him in front of the Firelord, but he was still his father. He didn't want anything bad to happen to him.

Azulon turned to Ursa who had been silent for the entire event.

"Prepare for a long voyage, daughter. I am sending your family and yourself on a long sojourn. I expect you and Ozai to return here after dinner tonight. His actions will have consequences."

He turned to Zuko.

"Your presentation is postponed for five years. My expectations will be much higher and your sister's presentation will be a year after yours. You are in for a trying five years my honoured grandson."

He then dismissed the two of them and thought about what he would say that evening.

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Ozai and Ursa arrived that evening as directed. They knelt before Azulon who was pacing before them.

"Father -"

"BE SILENT! You blasted FOOL! Do you have ANY idea of what you have _DONE_?"

Azulon's rage broke over Ozai like a tsunami.

"Were it not for my intervention you would have singlehandedly destabilised my rule! Do you know _nothing_ about the true purpose of the presentation? Did you not consider it was a necessary tool to secure the loyalty of our citizens through awe and respect?"

Ozai stayed silent and kept his eyes on the floor.

"Did you not consider" Azulon continued "that there were carefully chosen civilian witnesses put in place to secretly and _accidentally_ overhear and witness the entire presentation? Witnesses, I might add that are even now relating to the capital _exactly_ what happened with that debacle."

Ozai didn't like where this was heading. His father was fuming mad even though hour had passed since his indiscretion.

"I should challenge you to an Agni Kai or banish you for your behaviour today. The siege of Ba Sing Sei is still ongoing with no clear end in sight. A prolonged siege was always inevitable and bad for morale but I _had_ planned to use Zuko's presentation to rally the people behind our family. Now, I have THIS to deal with on top of the siege. Our family's strength is our UNITY. Our UNITED FRONT! Now I am forced to change years' worth of planning to compensate for your stupidity."

Azulon paused and took a calming breath before turning to his daughter in law.

"Ursa, how long until your family is ready to depart?"

Ozai's eyes widened, not hearing Ursa's quiet response. His father had indicated that despite what he wanted to do with Ozai, he could not just _banish_ him. They were still being sent away?

Azulon turned his back to Ozai, facing the throne and squared his shoulders. In a voice that commanded a nation, he passed judgment on his son.

"Prince Ozai, you have defied my rule and insult me further by disregarding your duties to my grandson. I have postponed his presentation for five years. Until he passes his presentation, you are not permitted to enter this city, nor are you considered in line for the throne. You WILL do your duty to your son or you will not stand to inherit ANYTHING. I am recalling Iroh and Lu Ten from the siege. There are also new conditions to Zuko's presentation. He must be proficient in firebending, two different weapons,tactics, our family history and our laws. He is also to have at least one impressive deed to his name. You will leave as soon as you are ready to depart. Do you understand my orders, _Citizen Ozai_?"

Ozai was stunned. He answered in the affirmative not wishing to incite a harsher punishment.

Ozai and Ursa made to leave and Azulon gripped his son's arm in a steel grip. The Firelord glared at his son directly into his eyes.

"You WILL get your house in order boy! Do not presume to think that I will be unaware of your actions or inactions while you are beyond the walls of the Caldera. I am fully aware that the Secretariat of the Dai Li has just recovered from a head cold, that the only daughter of the Northern Watertribe Chieftain is spirit-touched and that a Guru who knew the Avatar's mentor has taken up residence in the Eastern Airtemple. The Lady Ursa is in charge of finding tutors and mentors for Prince Zuko. Princess Azula will have similar high goals to reach but I will think on them further and contact Lady Ursa about them."

Azulon pulled a frozen Ozai close so Azulon's mouth hissed directly into his son's ear.

"And if you ever presume to insult my grandson or myself like this again, I will _burn your face off_."

Azulon released his temporarily disinherited son and Ozai positively fled from the room.

Ursa lingered behind. She hadn't just been called to witness Ozai being rebuked. Azulon had more to say to her.

"My daughter, I have had a vision. . ."


	2. Chapter 2

**An Unexpected Development**

 _By TeraWatt_

"My daughter. I have had a vision. Or I have been granted one by the Spirits."

Ursa looked rather stunned. The royal family had not been in the Spirit's good graces since Avatar Roku died.

"I have seen what could have passed had I not rebuked Ozai; a possible future. While the end result was desirable, many had suffered grievously, including our own family."

"What did my Lord see?"

"An alliance between Zuko and the Avatar that redefines the world. The end of the war."

Ursa's eyes widened with shock.

"The Avatar will return? What does Zuko have to do with him? What does Ozai have to do with all of this?"

"In this vision, Lu Ten had died and news had just reached the palace two days before Zuko's presentation. Iroh had abandoned the siege and was on his way home. On his way, he would have a vision and visit the Spirit world." Azulon let out a dry chuckle. "It seems without Lu Ten's death that I get the vision."

Azulon shook his head wryly and continued.

"Ozai was not rebuked in my vision. He stayed behind and asked me to deny Iroh his birth right as my heir as Iroh no longer had any children."

"Surely not even Ozai is so callous as to pull that kind of stunt just after my nephew's death."

"Just so. It should be noted that Zuko and Azula were listening behind the curtain up to this point. I was understandably furious at Ozai's presumption and my fury seemed to have caused Zuko to flee lest he be discovered."

"Azula later told Zuko, gloatingly I might add, that I had ordered his death. I know not whether there is truth to this or not. In any case, you overheard this and by morning you had disappeared and I was dead. Ozai took the throne and escalated the war."

"I cannot believe that you would order Zuko's death. Certainly not after losing Lu Ten."

"No. That, I believe, was a lie on Azula's part."

"Let it be known, my Lord, I am a loyal subject but if you dare to threaten my children I will fight with everything at my disposal to remove any such threat."

"So noted and so you should."

"What happened next?"

"Ozai ignored Zuko for the most part. Doting on Azula and revelling in his new station. Iroh took Zuko under his wing and became a mentor to him. One day Zuko was permitted to witness a war council and spoke out of turn in defence of some troops one of the Generals were planning to sacrifice in a decoy. Ozai declared that Zuko must fight an Agni Kai for his insult and disrespect. Zuko accepted."

"An Agni Kai?! How old was he?"

"I would guess Zuko was thirteen years old. When he turned to face his opponent, it wasn't the General. By speaking out in the Firelord's Council –"

"He would't!"

"- he disrespected the Firelord himself."

"That Agni-forsaken monster! How dare he force MY son to fight against him!"

"It gets worse. Zuko refused to fight. He knelt in submission before Ozai and lost half his face for his weakness."

Ursa looked torn between rage, horror and disbelief.

"Ozai banished Zuko to not return without regaining his honour by capturing the Avatar and bringing him before the Firelord. Iroh went with him to guide him and offer his assistance. Zuko would scour the world for the Avatar for three years before finding him at the South Pole. The Avatar is a twelve year old airbender boy, named Aang. He ran away from his responsibilities when he was told four years too early. He got caught in a massive storm and was frozen in an iceberg for one hundred years."

"He won't know that the airbenders are gone."

"He finds out soon enough and that is almost VERY disastrous. If it isn't for his new friends from the Southern Water Tribe, the Avatar would have gone on a rampage."

"But he's just a little boy."

"Not Aang, the Avatar. The Avatar State is a defence mechanism. When his eyes and tattoos glow he has access to the power and knowledge of ALL his past lives. He has no control over this until he masters all the elements and masters himself."

Azulon began to pace.

"We need an end to this war. But I cannot be the one to do it. I intend for Zuko and Lu Ten to gain allies in other nations so that when I pass my throne on to one of them, the war can end without our being destroyed or damaged beyond repair."

"How does my son get involved in an alliance with this boy, Aang?"

"He spends the better part of a year chasing him all over the world and comes to realise that he is on the wrong side of the war. He defects and teaches the Avatar firebending so as to stop Ozai from committing further atrocities. It seems that Sozin's Comet is due to make a reappearance. Ozai was using its power to try to burn down the earth kingdom."

"That's insane!"

"I said 'try'. The Avatar confronted him and after a truly amazing fight, the Avatar took away Ozai's ability to bend."

"Is that even possible?"

"It seems so. But that is enough of the vision, for now. When you are travelling, seek out Piandao to teach Zuko the sword. Seek out the Yu Yan Archers as well. While Ozai may not enter the city, do not hesitate to return here yourself with the children if you feel it is best. Iroh is powerful and unique in his style of bending. It may be that Zuko will thrive on a style not taught in the Caldera or the army."

"Yes my Lord."

"Beware of your husband. In this vision he became mad with power, rather like my own father, Sozin, in his later years. He is not quite to that stage yet, but today I saw the potential. Watch him like a hawk."

"I will be on my guard."

"Good. If you find yourselves in the Earth Kingdom, go as spice merchants. They have reason to have guards and a full caravan. Or as silk traders. Try and start a friendship between Zuko and an Earth Kingdom girl Toph of the House of Bei Fong. She will become a revolutionary Earth Bender and will be one of the Avatar's bending masters. By now she is already learning from the Badger-moles. I will do some shuffling of my own in the army. This war needs to end, but I will not abandon our defences just to beg for mercy from the other nations. This must be done cautiously and with careful planning."

 **AN:** Thanks to everyone who reviewed so far and to everyone who has followed/favourited my story.


	3. Chapter 3

**An Unexpected Development**

 _By TeraWatt_

We, Azulon, by the gift of Agni, Sovereign Firelord of the Fire Nation send Our greetings and salutations to His Majesty High King Kuei, 52nd Emperor of the Earth Kingdom, Lord of Ba-Sing-Sei and all His Realms and Territories.

In order to stem the abominable effusion of blood, We do hereby propose a cessation of hostilities between Our two countries for a period of no less than twenty years in order to mount a thorough search for the Avatar that, with His or Her arbitration, the war may come to a long overdue end and that a lasting peace may be brokered.

During this armistice, We propose an agreement be reached for the exchange of Prisoners of War with the exception of individuals who are to be charged with War Crimes. These aforementioned individuals will remain in custody until the end of the war at which time a War Crimes Tribunal will be formed for the purposes of trying those who stand accused and for sentencing those who will be found guilty.

This war has left the world scarred and divided but it is Our firm belief that with the Avatar's guidance, an accord between our two nations can be reached without further bloodshed and heartache.

We have ordered Our forces to withdraw from all active theatres of the war to their nearest defensible fortresses, garrisons, cities, towns and outposts as of the Spring Equinox. There they shall remain until the Summer Solstice by which time, if no agreement has been reached, the war shall recommence.

If your majesty is amiable to discussing Our proposal further, Our duly appointed representative, Commander Zhu, has been accorded authority to treat with your representative at a Neural location with a retinue of no more than 5 benders as an escort.

We trust this proposal shall be treated with the gravity it warrants and highly recommend that an answer to this invitation be dispatched no later than by the next full moon. Any reply received after this time will likely be construed as contempt or levity on your part and will almost certainly spoil the efforts of any discourse before such discourse commences.

Azulon

[Here is affixed the Royal Seal]


	4. Chapter 4

**An Unexpected Development**

 _By TeraWatt_

General Iroh, the Dragon of the West, had finally brought the last of his surviving troops beyond the reach of an Earthbender's throw. The retreat from Ba Sing Sei had gone better than previous estimates had given him the right to hope for. Nineteen soldiers dead and around thirty injured, give or take, with various degrees of severity.

Still, better that than the alternative. Those Dai Li agents were something else. One agent was more dangerous than a platoon of fresh earthbenders. The things that they were capable of were on par with the skills of the Imperial Firebender Corps.

If Corporal Mushi hadn't caught that one Agent by surprise, Iroh's precious son would have been buried alive. If the bitter old corporal was still alive, Iroh would have given him a field promotion. As it was, the chilling thought of keeping his only son inside these thrice cursed walls for a moment longer had forced the General to reassess the state of his campaign.

True, he had breached the mighty walls of the "impenetrable city", but despite the outer wall being rent open, it was still heavily defended and so supply lines ended outside the outer wall. Add that to the distinct lack of reinforcements, night raids on their encampments and prisoners of war being mind-bent and released back into their own ranks to fight their own countrymen; Iroh had seen enough of this accursed city for five lifetimes.

The only person with the authority to order a retreat was the Firelord and no such order had been given. Iroh took it upon himself to give the order even though he would certainly suffer grievously for his presumption. Firstborn son of the Firelord or not, insubordination could not and would not go unpunished.

Prince Iroh unconsciously straightened his back and squared his shoulders. He would face the consequences of his actions with the dignity he would expect from his own men. He would accept whatever punishment his Lord Father deemed fitting.

A pageboy ran to meet him where he was currently following the retreating column of troops. He silently bowed in respect to the General and passed a sealed missive bearing a black ribbon and gold wax. A missive from the Firelord.

Biting the proverbial arrow, Iroh opened the scroll without delay. His eyes widened in shock as his eyes read further down. By the time he reached the end, his mouth was slightly ajar in shock. Commander Jeong Jeong was to take command of the battalion and withdraw their forces to Gaipan while Iroh, Lu Ten and their retinue were to return home with all haste. The order to retreat had been given. They had broken the walls of Ba Sing Sei and destroyed any misconception that the city was safe from their forces. They had "bloodied the enemy's lip and kicked down their front door" the Firelord had said. "Let them quake in their boots for a while knowing that the walls are far from the ultimate defence they had always believed them to be."

Iroh almost slumped in relief. As the Commanding Officer of this campaign, Iroh was the only one privy to the Firelord's orders; a reason Iroh had shamelessly exploited to withdraw from the siege without argument or mutiny. Now, he could openly and truthfully state that their "rearguard action" (not retreat - Never retreat) was under orders from the Capital. Any claims that it was an act of cowardice or treason could be truthfully rebutted as could any accusations of failure. The Firelord's objectives had been reached and now, they were ordered to a new mission elsewhere.

Iroh debated whether to send an errand boy to summon his son or whether to simply seek him out himself. He decided to forgo a middleman and began the trek to his son's division to tell his son the news himself.

On the way there Iroh mused about the cause of such fortuitous orders. If he had not decided to retreat of his own volition days earlier, the orders would have seemed shockingly out of the blue. Either something had forced the Firelord to amend his plans or the wily old man was keeping his pai sho tiles closer to his chest than he usually did. Iroh highly suspected the latter. After all, he mused, the man has always planned seventeen steps ahead of everyone else in the game. The thought of random chance forcing his father to reconsider something of this magnitude was unfathomable.

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Azula was puzzled as to what was going on. The palace servants were packing all of her clothes and belongings up. Not simply the bare necessities as would happen if they were merely going to the retreat on Ember Island, but every item, almost as though the trip would last far longer than any she had been on before.

That was not all that was strange about this situation. Her father was unusually silent and forbidding since he got back from dinner the night before. Beyond this, there had been no further private tutoring sessions with him today which was a definite and disturbing break from routine.

She wandered down the hallway as porters frantically brought crates of scrolls and tomes, chests of clothes and various other belongings from not only her own room but from every room in her family's wing of the palace. The servants barely stopped to bow their heads respectfully to her before continuing on their way.

Hearing sound coming from the training ground, she wandered outside into the little courtyard where, to her shock and dismay, Azula saw her father supervising Zuko as he was performing cold-katas. This was the first time since she threw her first flame that her brother was being taught without her being invited and given preference. Surely her father had not begun to favour her brother over her?

Spotting her daughter enter the courtyard and freeze at the private lesson, Ursa watched with a small frown on her face as Azula's face flashed betrayal for a split second before she turned to storm back inside. Ursa quickly made her way over and pulled her aside. Her daughter looked mutinous but allowed herself to be sat down on a bench out of sight of her father and Zuko's lesson.

"Why is _he_ getting private lessons from Dad! Where are we going! Why will no-one tell me what is going on!?" Azula fumed at her silent mother, silently cursing at her for maintaining her calm and serene demeanour in the face of her daughter's fury.

Ursa cocked her head ever so slightly to the left and contemplated her daughter.

"Your father is being punished for his actions yesterday. He dishonoured the Firelord and so your grandfather has banished him. Both your presentation and Zuko's have been delayed for a period of five years and more will be expected of both of you. If Zuko's presentation does not please the Firelord, your father will be cast from the family and banished from the entire nation."

"The ship will depart this evening an hour before sundown and we will be making our way to Shu-Zing and your brother's first tutor."

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Firelord Azulon held a meeting in " _secret_ " with the elder Fire Sage which was overheard by an ambitious noble. The noble went home and quietly informed his wife what he heard. This in turn was overheard by a servant who was being paid by a rival noble, two maids who were serving the noble and his wife at the time and a cabbage merchant who just happened to be pulling his cart in the street outside the nobleman's window. From there, the news spread like wildfire that Prince Zuko had shown great talent during the presentation but had implored an opportunity to do even better given some more time. The young Prince, the rumours said, had already departed the palace to refine his impressive skills with Masters across the Nation and with war heroes. His family had left with him apart from Prince Zuko's father, Prince Ozai. Prince Ozai had been given orders to perform some highly secret assignment and was not to return before it was completed.

Late into the night, Azulon lay awake in his bed, pondering on the day now ended. He had done all that could be done for the time being. Now he had to focus on the war. With the siege ended, he had a great many more troops that weren't committed. He could fortify the colonies closest to the front and maintain the status quo for the time being while he reevaluated his long term plans.

If he wished to settle for anything less than the goal of complete world domination then the propaganda must be slowly amended to suit. Else he risked rebellion and ruin. He would have to quietly replace some of the more bloodthirsty members of the war council as well as the rabid warmongers with more levelheaded alternatives who had been quietly suing for peaceful negotiations rather than continuing the war.

Still, he thought that it was doable and today had been a good beginning.

With a final mournful glance at the empty space in the bed to his right, 'has it truly been six years?' He closed his eyes.


	5. Chapter 5

**An Unexpected Development**

 _By TeraWatt_

Ozai stood on the edge of the cliff, gazing into the horizon, both metaphorical and physical. Two years ago the proverbial rug had been pulled out from underneath him and, having not the slightest clue that it was possible for the tables to turn so quickly and completely, he had had no contingencies whatsoever to fall back on when his father had effectively disinherited and banished him for what was, in Ozai's mind, a minor infraction.

Zuko had always been a disappointment ever since he had been born. Truly, a member of the royal family to be born on both a winter solstice AND during an eclipse. The sort of day when only the most unlucky souls and the weakest firebenders were born into the world. For it to have just been the solstice would have been bad enough but to be born on BOTH . . . Well, lucky the boy had thrown sparks by his fifth nameday or else, Ursa or no Ursa, he would have drowned the Agni forsaken child with his own two hands.

When the court had learned just how late Zuko had begun bending, it had not simply tarred the boy as a weakling but had also begun to tar his father, Ozai, with his failures as well. After all, how could it be possible for a powerful bender to have such a weakling for an heir. Whispers persisted that either Ozai, who had never served in the military, was secretly a substandard bender or Ursa had cheated on him with some lowly servant.

Of course, whenever such rumours reached Ozai's ears, the party responsible often found their sons sent to the front lines to perish and they themselves in the unenviable position of being abducted for Ozai to practice his lightning upon.

So while this kept the court from openly speaking of Ozai's shame, he could see it in their eyes at every banquet, royal function and war council.

And so Ozai made sure his second born, daughter or not, was impressive enough to make up for her brother's disgrace. Let Ursa spoil the useless brat, he would have a decent heir if nothing else.

He had not, however, anticipated his father's response to be so furious.

Who could have guessed how Azulon leapt to defend Zuko's honour from Ozai's insult? And to go so far as to banish his own son from the capitol was unthinkable.

Ozai had eschewed travelling with his family and had ensconced himself in the family retreat on Ember island. Ursa had taken both of their children to some blade master in Shu-Zing along with a score of servants, tutors and bodyguards.

With Iroh and his son back at the Caldera, Ozai's chances of usurping his older brother's birthright were truly diminished. The news he received from the palace was often third or even fourth hand and for someone of his manipulative nature to be so removed from a position where he could exert precise influence over his own fortunes was both disorienting and unnerving.

For the longest time Ozai had been firmly in control of his fate, it was easy to forget about Iroh being the crown prince when he was off making a show of searching for the Avatar or playing soldier boy. He had never really considered his older brother a serious obstacle; Iroh was the type to fight from the front and given how high profile he was, the chances of him coming home alive were slim at best. And if he somehow looked to be coming home alive, it couldn't be too much trouble to organise an accident to befall him. No, Iroh had never crossed Ozai's thoughts much as he was scheming his way into becoming the next Firelord.

'Dragon of the West indeed. . .' Ozai thought derisively. If his brother had slain a dragon, where were the witnesses? And where was the carcass of this supposed dragon? 'Yes,' Ozai thought 'if Iroh killed a dragon, I'm an airbender.' But no matter how highly unlikely the story, their father had accepted Iroh's daring spirit tale at once and bestowed the title with as much fanfare as was befitting such a national hero. Not that Ozai cared. Let his brother have his little title, Ozai had thought at the time, he, Ozai, was after a better title - Firelord.

Now Iroh and Lu Ten were back at the Palace, safe and well, and he was nominally disinherited all thanks to one misstep. All he could do now was watch events unfold from afar, his plans dashed and his life effectively put on hold until the impossible came to pass.

Zuko was a weakling; a failure through and through. The chances of him meeting the Firelod's requirements of his presentation whether he be given five years or fifty were highly improbable at best. With his mother coddling him every step of the way, Ozai doubted that there would ever be a Firelord Ozai. Scowling heavily at the horizon, both metaphorical and physical, Ozai watched the sun set on his future.

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Zuko's blades cut the air with the faintest of sounds marking their passing. He had finally moved past the wooden training blades two months previously as his master deemed him ready to forge his sword (or swords to the ignorant souls who looked upon a set of 'dao' and saw two swords in place of the ONE unit they were.)

This kata was very simple at first glance. Very basic movements, slashes and parries that could be commonly found as the cornerstone of most katas. Footwork and shifting the body's weight gracefully from position to position - never unbalanced or overreached, always centred. If one was to stop at ANY point between positions, the swordsman could always keep said position without falling over.

The aim, however, was not to build speed or strength, nor were the cuts and slices or the blade flashy in any way. The aim was to continue until one literally collapsed from exhaustion. The lesson of discipline and endurance was always a lesson hard learnt.

The art of the sword, Zuko's master often said, does not belong to one nation. Therefore, it followed that the style Piandao taught drew from every nation. Movements that drew, not only from firebending forms but from every bending form. The steadfast solidity of the earthbender, firmly rooted in place. The fluidity of the waterbender, turning the strength of your opponent into momentum to counterattack. The unrelenting ferocity of the firebender, tenacious and quick like a raging wildfire in the grasslands. And unexpectedly, the flightiness of the airbender, never quite where your opponent expects you to be. The latter learned from scrolls traded from pirates and mementos that old soldiers had pillaged from the assaults on the Airtemples.

The current kata ended and began anew and Zuko marvelled absentmindedly how heavy his thin, airy training clothes could feel after twenty-three minutes of work.

Every few minutes his master would softly call out a correction to his form and Zuko would begin the kata again, making painfully sure that his form was immaculate.

Twenty-five minutes in, Zuko's mind was blank and his eyes unfocussed as his body continued the motions of the kata. Sweat flowed down his face and stung his eyes and he paid it no mind. Nor did he notice the flare of fire, his chi setting the blades alight, trailing from the tips of the dao as they flew and sliced.

Zuko opened his eyes and realised that he was lying on the cool flagstones of the training yard looking into the endless blue sky. A dark hand, bearing hard earned callouses, reached down to the prone boy who grasped it and heaved himself to his feet.

"You have done well Prince Zuko. You lasted seven minutes more than the last time and your form has greatly improved overall." The blademaster smiled kindly at the boy. "Go get yourself cleaned up. Your sister will not be too much longer I shouldn't think."

Recognising the test for what it was, Zuko instead picked up his dao and walked to the steps where he sat down to tend to any nicks in the blades and to oil them lightly before putting them away for tomorrow's lessons.

The familiar motions of the whet stone gliding down the blade allowed Zuko's mind to wander.

Down in the garden, past the training courtyard, Piandao's manservant was fending off Azula's training sword as she tried to penetrate his defences while he corrected her form. Zuko's mother, Ursa watched from the shade of a nearby tree with a gentle smile playing on her lips.

Two years had seen some interesting changes in both children.

Away from the Caldera, Azula found herself devoid of minions and the intensive tutelage and training away from her father's special treatment had wrought a change in the girl. Whilst she still had her keen and calculating mind, her attitude had definitely seen an improvement. Under her mother's close watch, she had not been able to get away with her usual stunts like terrorising the servants or bullying Zuzu.

Without Ozai quietly fostering an air of competition for his affection between Zuko and Azula and away from the political vipers nest that was the Caldera, Ursa was able to correct a great deal of the damage. As the three royals were not advertising their royal identities to the locals of Shu-Zing, Zuko and Azula were able to mingle with children their own age who weren't only trying to curry some favour with the royal family. All that the locals knew was that some well-to-do family visiting from the capital on an extended visit with their distant relative Piandao.

Zuko quickly took to a small group of friends who spent their free time playing around the moderate sized town. Azula was a bit standoffish at first and had a rude shock when the children she decided would be her 'posse' did not immediately do as she demanded. After a long tearful talk with her mother that evening, Azula sheepishly apologised the following day. There were a few incidents and tantrums along the way but the princess eventually acclimatised to treating the other children as friends rather than trying to assume the post of leader.

Zuko had taken to the changes in circumstance like a turtle-duck to water. Where he was once awkward and reserved with the notable exception of when he was in the presence of his mother, now Zuko was an outgoing boy, quick to smile and laugh. He had also taken to his studies and training with a seriousness that took his mother and sister aback. He was fully determined to give an impressive showing at his presentation and it showed in his resolute determination to achieve perfection. When Zuko had joined Piandao for his morning run through the countryside one morning before dawn, the blademaster had raised an eyebrow at the boy but said nothing as they left the gate. Their morning runs continued every day since.

When the time had come for Zuko to create his sword, Azulon, having been informed of his grandson's dedication, had provided dragonsteel for the boy as a belated nameday gift and reward for his hard work.

Dragonsteel was metal that had been melted with dragon-fire. In the shade it looked like any other sword but when touched by direct sunlight, the blade shone with etherial flames of countless colours as though still afire. Additionally, the sword was always warm to the touch, even in the dead of winter.

The metal was in incredibly small supply and was jealously guarded by those who possessed any. It was truly a symbol of high stature as the majority of the families that owned any were families whose ancestors had hunted the beasts and brought back the precious metal from the lair.

The dragonsteel Azulon gifted to Zuko was part of what Iroh had gifted to his father upon returning from his own battle against the last of the dragons. With no dragons remaining to make more, it was highly unlikely that there would ever be another sword like Prince Zuko's.

After this had been explained to Zuko, who had never even heard of dragonsteel before, the young prince had redoubled his efforts so as to not only make his grandfather proud, but to be worthy to wield such a weapon with the skill such a blade deserved.

Absently Zuko noticed that the he was the only person still outside. Sheathing his razor sharp sword in it's scabbard, he headed inside to wash before evening meal.

 **AN:** Thanks to everyone that has reviewed so far, you make my day, and thanks in advance to everyone who reviews this chapter. I hope you like this chapter, I don't know where half of it came from but I think it isn't too bad. As for the dragonsteel dao, I figure that some of the best characters have unique swords (Hiccup, Luke Skywalker, King Arthur, Aragorn, Frodo, Harry Potter, High King Peter the Magnificent, Sokka, Ned Stark) why not Zuko.

As always, updates will not be regular. I write when I have ideas of what to write and when I have time to do so. I will take any reasonable ideas you guys leave into consideration as I do not really have a plan with this story. Don't be shy to leave any suggestions in a review or message me your thoughts.

Cheers, TeraWatt


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